Saturday, December 20, 2008
Colossians chapter 3
I still have much more time I need to dedicate to both chapters 1 and 2, but for those of you who want to press on to chapter 3, feel free to post as you feel lead. Hopefully it's evident to those who didn't already know, that the Bible has too much in it to just read it like a novel. We've been on chapters 1 and 2 for over a month now! So much for reading the Bible in a year. But I trust that others are learning as much as I've been learning. And I truly appreciate those that are helping me be more accountable to my connection with God through His Word. And isn't Colossians an incredible book?...just wait until we get to Romans, Corinthians, Ecclesiastes, Acts, Hebrews, James, Isaiah, John....where do I stop?
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17 comments:
I am learing and enjoying this so much! Thank you for what you are doing Greg!
Christianity is confusing! We believers desire to do what God wants us to do and so we look to the Bible to learn the Way. Then we read about discipline, righteousness, and self-sacrifice and we start to feel overwhelmed, guilty, and discouraged. Then we read about Jesus, forgiveness, and God's grace and we feel a sense of relief, joy, and gratitude. So we turn back to the Bible to find out how to return God's favor by being disciplined, righteous, and sacrificial....and the process starts over again.
This cycle seems to be fueled as I read the book of Colossians. As Paul reminds us that it's ALL about Jesus and God's grace in chapters 1and 2, he goes into chapter 3 and writes about our requirement for Holy living. Now Paul is telling the believer what to do and how to live.
As these issues keep coming up, Angela brought Acts chapter 15 to my attention last night. What a cool chapter that is. Paul, Barnabas, Peter, James were among several other Christians trying to resolve this very issue early on in the Church. Imagine how cool that meeting would have been. They wanted to determine the Gentiles responsibility toward God. You can see for yourself what they determined, but the letter they wrote regarding the requirements of a believer has the words "it seemed good" in it. That doesn't sound too concrete.."it seemed".
All this to say that this issue of our role and God's role in our salvation is a tough one to map out exactly (at least our role). And even the greatest early Christians, some that walked with Jesus for three years, were indecisive on this subject as well. But all of those then as well as all of us now would agree that the goal is to just please God. And I'm sure that God is not pleased with my sins, and I'm equally sure that God is pleased with the life that Jesus lived. So if my sins are God's enemy, my sins need to be my enemy as well. And my calling is to love what God loves and hate what God hates...so I NEED to:
"Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature..." (Col. 3:5)
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly..."(Col. 3:16)
Amen to that! It is so important to learn about God through His word, the Bible. To learn of Him any other way, like from a preacher or a Sunday school teacher (or a Blog), is to learn of Him second hand. To "let the word of Christ dwell in you richly" is to read, understand, and follow Jesus' teachings from the Bible. A good way to confirm that you are "richly filled" is to find yourself saying "Amen" as you read through scripture. But if you are finding yourself saying "what's up with that?" all the time, you might need to learn the heart of God a little better....but that's how everyone starts out, with the "what's up with that?" questions.
Here's some more verses from this chapter:
"Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord."
"Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them."
"Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord."
"Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged." (Colossians 3:18-21)
Amen..Amen!..Amen!..and Amen!
Well, I know I haven't participated too much in Colossians but I wanted to finish Acts and I have just started studying 2 Kings in a group Bible Study. While I was doing my homework for 2 Kings this morning, I had a very interesting thing happen. I feel like it was God answering a question that I have been asking for a couple of weeks now. In Colossians 3:3 it says, "For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God." I had one of those moments where I was asking what's up with that. I wondered why the word hidden was being used. Why does our life need to be hidden? If you go back to Colossians 2:2,3 That their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Well, in my study of 2 Kings , it led me to a cross reference Zephaniah 2:3 Seek the Lord, All humble of the earth who have carried out His ordinances;Seek righteousness, seek humility. Perhaps you will be hidden In the day of the Lord's anger. Wow!! At this point, Zephaniah was giving a message from God to His people. He was angry at their idol worship and sin and he was going to bring anger and desolation to the land and people and those who seek Him and righteousness and humility had a chance to be hidden from all that. That was a moment for me. All of a sudden God was revealing to me why he used the word hidden in Christ. As long as we are abiding in Christ and seeking Him we are hidden in Christ. We are protected, love and secure in Christ. We don't have to follow the Law to be hidden anymore, all we need is Christ and to understand that we are hidden in Him is amazing!
When we study the old testament if we look and listen carefully to the stories and characters we can see Jesus in every one. We can see how Jesus has fulfilled them all. Looking at what Greg posted about submitting and then what Angela said about seeking and being hidden with Christ.
This is a thought that went through my mind....
Wives are to submit to their husbands. Well we are the bride of Christ so when we seek and abide aren't we submitting to Him.
Then children obey your parents. We are all sons of God; children of God, so, God is wanting our obediece and in seeking we find the hidden treasures stored for those who are hidden. Make sense???
I would like to expand on what it means to "abide". Dutch Sheets said, " Consistency is a key to prayer for protection."
We must "dwell" in the secret place to "abide" under the Almighty's protective shadow. Psalm 91:1 "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the Almighty's protective shadow." Dwell - yashab which means to remain or abide to dwell in "the secret place" - "OUR PRAYER CLOSET".
Consistency - it must be a lifestyle not every once in a while. Our dwelling. Abide - "to spend the night". Prayer builds boundaries of protection......
Angela, that's the stuff epiphanies are made of! I love when the Author draws us to the trail markers, making the path clear for us. This ties in so well with Proverbs 21:14b. It's kind of crass but check it out,"and a bribe concealed in the cloak pacifies great wrath." This is such an obvious picture of atonement...what the ancient Hebrews understood as necessary for being in right relationship with Yahweh. Christ took it further through what theologians call propitiation, hiding us in himself, but instead of just covering our sin, wiping it out completely. I love how God speaks through each part of the Body. Great stuff!
And Revonda...there's actually someone named Dutch Sheets? Can you buy his commentaries at Bed, Bath and Beyond? Tee hee.
I find it interesting GOD commands this:
wives submit
husbands love
children obey
fathers provoke NOT
bondservants (that's us in CHRIST) obey.
how do we do it.. heartily.
Things that do not come naturally GOD commands us to do. These are not suggestions, nor emotions. they are action words.
David - you crazy thing...I've never thought about it before but his name does sound like some international type sheet. Dutch Sheets writes books. Good author but I bet he's been teased about his name before.
You guys are doing a great job on this blog.
Gina, God commands us to do all those things that don't come naturally. You are right about that. In reading this morning, the verses before those commands in Colossians 3 are all about our lives not being ours anymore. If we have been raised with Christ ,seek the things that are above Colossians3:1. After reading my old testament study and then moving on to Colossians you truly can see that the character and nature of God has not changed. It really has been amazing to me when I do both studies in the same day. God hates sin and his wrath is coming. Should we fear the Lord? ABSOLUTELY!!! He warned His people in the Old Testament over and over and over. He brought His wrath upon them over and over too. He is still saying that because of sin His wrath is coming. Colossians 3: 5,6 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. We are not to be concerned with these things anymore. We are to forgive and love because we are hidden in Christ who has forgiven us and loved us. Without Christ we too would suffer this wrath that is coming. We must always abide in Him by seeking things that are above. If we look at our lives that way , that no matter what our circumstances and situations, we are to submit and humble ourselves for the sake of Christ. If we can always remember that then all of a sudden those unnatural commands that he gives us become a bit easier. Thank God, Praise God that he gave us Jesus!!! All things are because of Him and for Him!!
Angela,
really really good stuff!!! To fear the LORD is to hate evil which brings us right back to obedience as HE commands!GOD's ways are not our ways yet GOD exposes to us HIS way so we can learn to walk in it with reverence and true fear.
Proverbs 8:13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way
And the perverse mouth I hate.
I wrote some pretty cool stuff (at least in my opinion) yesterday and tried to post it here and it all disappeared. It was a good 1/2 hour of work that got lost in cyberspace. I assume God didn't find it worthy to make it to the public, so I'll try it again.
I want to add to the comments that Gina and Angela left referring to the commands in scripture that do not come natural to us. If we look at Col. 3:18-22 we see a good list of these commands.
Wives are to "submit".
Husbands are to "love".
Children are to "obey".
Fathers are to "not embitter".
Slaves are to "obey".
Wives are to "submit" to their husbands!..now that's what I'm talking about! Notice Paul doesn't say wives are to "obey" their husbands. He did use "obey" when referencing children and slaves (a modern day employee). So if he wanted to use the word "obey" for wives, he would have...but he chose the word "submit". Interesting.
Have you ever wondered why wives are to submit to their husbands and not the other way around? I think the answer is the same as the answers to "why do men have to work?", and "why do we all have to die?".
Check out Genesis 3:16. God says to Eve: "...Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."
Women must "submit" to their husbands for the same reason men must work...it's because of the curse God put on man (and woman) after the original sin.
Here is the curse God put on man: "By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground" (Gen 3:19)
So women must "submit" to their husbands and men must work. This is God's law and God's design.
The rewards of "submitting" to their husband is not as clearly seen as the rewards of a man's working, but this doesn't mean that they are not there. When I work, even though I dread it daily, my life is blessed as a result. If I followed my desire to lay in the bed and miss work, then I wouldn't be able to pay my bills and I would bring on a lot of heart ache into my life...self-inflicted heart ache. The choice is mine. So although this command to work is burdensome, it is actually a blessing.
So God knows we are going to struggle at keeping His commands (submit, obey, love), but His commands are the best things we've got in this fallen world. Because if the Bible was written by me, we'd have Colossians 3:22 reading "sit long on the couch, eating and watching football, and all the more as you see the day approaching." Then where would our world end up? Thank God that He is making the rules!
Men are to love their wives as CHRIST loved the church.
Jesus came to "serve". So husbands are to serve wives and wives, no matter how hard it is...must submit to this service.
Notice scripture does not say men or women but husbands and wives. When women work outside the home they are fulfilling the husband role.Submission goes both ways when the roles are equal. GOD will hold all "husbands" accountable for this.
I know many husbands that really don't get it.
Wives should NOT work out side of the home so they can fulfill their roles as wives. Husbands should take care of everything so their wives can be homemakers. Genesis shows us that women (Eve) can easily be deceived, but men (Adam) know better but will do it anyway. As a wife I need my husband to be strong so I can hold on to him during the storms of life so the waves don't take me over. I am the weaker vessel, someone to be treasured. JESUS sees me as HIS princess. So should every husband see his wife in the same way, otherwise he does not uphold his role and should give an account of this before our HOLY GOD.
Gregg,
Remember GOD did not take woman from a bone in mans head to stand above him,
Nor his back to stand behind him, Nor his foot to stand beneath him; BUT she is from his rib to stand beside him.
gina
Ephesians 5:18 tells us to be "Spirit-Filled". He tells us to submit to one another "In Love" - singing and making melody in their hearts to the Lord. Submitting (subject to one another in the fear of Christ). Paul is telling us to bring this spirit-filled living into our homes. Wives Submit (make subject to) your husbands as to the Lord. Submission to your husband is an act of obedience to the Lord.
Paul is saying that the Lord is the primary recipient of this act.
Marriage should be a contract between 2 people that looks like Christ and the Church.
Church subject to Christ
Wife subject to Husband
Husband reflects the Lord while she reflects the Church
Christ loves the church
Husband loves his wife as he loves his own body
Unfortunately in this broken world, there's so much abuse on both sides, women supporting the family, everyone living their own lives and not knowing the truth of God's word.
Bottom line - husbands should lead their wives to follow them which means to be more spiritually minded than the wife. In today's world with both people working just to make ends meet marriage should be a partnership with Christ at the head. When couples put Christ as the head, seeking God, learning his ways, being obedient they learn to live this "spirit-filled" life and are able to teach their children. Submission is a spiritual obedience to Christ just like Jesus is obedient to God making him a servant.
Gina, I believe we are on the same wave length.
These roles of husbands, wives, children, and slaves (employees) brings up an interesting dilemma. What if the one in authority is not honoring God? For example, what if the husband is asking the wife to support him financially? Or if he tells the wife not to go to church or not to read the Bible? Or if the employer tells the employee to do something against God's will? Or if the parents tell the children to lie, cheat, or steal? Are we suppose to follow these commands in Colossians 3:18-22 under those circumstances? I'd say no. We all have an ultimate authority and that is to God, and His ways are found in the teachings of His son Jesus(the Word of God).
The local churches today are filled up with a majority of women. In addition to that, most households in America find the spiritual leader in the family being the wife/mother. If a man is going to church he is often dragged there by his wife. And the children are getting taught about God through their mother or grandmother.
I might be mistaken, but it sure seems like the generation before mine had a lot more men that were able to say the prayer before a Thanksgiving meal then we have today. When I first started going to Angela's family get-togethers, there were several of the older men who were willing and able to pray before we would eat. Now, as those men have passed away, the new "men" of the family don't seem to be willing or able to carry this role out. That is a shame and that is a sign that the family unit is not as God designed.
One of the best pieces of spiritual advice I heard is that the husband/father is the pastor of his family. I am responsible for Angela's, Jacob's, and Carley's spiritual growth (not their salvation, but growth). I have the ability to influence my wife and kids spiritually way more than them to me. That is my role, and that is what I mean when I say the wife is to submit to the husband and the children to the parents.
As we pointed out early in this Colossians study, Paul is addressing Believers in Jesus as he writes this letter. So I think it is assumed that these families are already set up as God honoring families where the husband is the pastor. Without this foundation, I think these verses are out of context. A wife is not to dishonor God to please her husband...employees are not to dishonor God to please the boss...and children are not to dishonor God to please their parents.
So I agree with Gina that many husbands just don't get it. And I'm glad that Revonda brought up Eph 5, because in verses 22-33 we see just how Paul sees how this relationship of marriage is to bring glory to God.
But the command for husbands to love their wives is a bit different from the others we're discussing. I think this command to love your wife is required even when the wife is dis-honoring God. Because we are all called to "Love", even to love our enemies. So it is love that has the power to change a heart. So right or wrong, the wife always deserves "love" from a husband.
I'm curious to hear if anyone agrees or disagrees with my opinion that these commands are only to be followed only under God's guidelines. Or are they all relevant in every circumstance.
I responded to Greg's response but don't think it took so here goes again.
Greg, very good response that I totally agree with.
How perfect this world would be if we only knew how to follow His design. Somehow the generations have lost what my parents had but with parents like you and Angela and other young couples that I'm watching in our church the values can be brought back into the family and church.
I'm so thankful for your love for Christ and being such a wonderful example to your family.
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